The invention disclosed herein is generally related to mounting fixtures for supporting cameras, photographic flash lamps and the like. In particular, this invention is related to mounting fixtures for photographic light stands.
Professional photographers make frequent use of portable light stands which support flash lamps, reflective umbrellas for providing diffused illumination, and other types of lighting equipment. Critical to the efficient use of such assemblies is the ease with which the various pieces of equipment can be assembled on the stand and properly adjusted. In ordinary practice the orientation of each piece of equipment must be independently adjusted to provide optimum illumination conditions. When this must be done by successive adjustment and securing of each piece of equipment, the process can be time-consuming and awkward. Accordingly, it is the object and purpose of the present invention to provide a mounting fixture for a photographic light stand which is capable of supporting one or more camera flash lamps as well as a reflective lighting umbrella, and which permits independent yet rapid adjustment of the orientation of such equipment. More particularly, it is the object of this invention to provide such a mounting fixture which allows the flash lamps and umbrella to each be properly adjusted for orientation, and which allows these pieces of equipment to be subsequently secured in position in a single mechanical operation.
Also important to the background of this invention is the recent advent of improved flash lamp power supplies which permit the use of small, lightweight electronic flash lamps in professional applications. Such lamps are desirable because two or more such lamps may be used at once, as opposed to a single large professional flash lamp. This permits, for example, one lamp to be used to provide direct illumination of a photgraphic subject while another lamp is used in combination with a reflective umbrella to provide diffused illumination. It will be appreciated that the use of multiple flash lamps in such a manner provides greatly increased flexibility in illumination over the use of single lamps.
Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a mounting fixture which is capable of supporting two electronic flash lamps as well as a reflective light umbrella, and which permits these items to be independently adjusted in position and orientation. Further, it is an object to provide such a mounting fixture wherein a pair of electronic flash lamps and a reflective umbrella may be independently adjusted and subsequently secured at once in a single operation.
These and other objects of the present invention will be set forth in the description below, and will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon practice of the invention.